Did you know snack time can also encourage fine motor development and problem solving skills? Just offer your child (who isn't allergic, of course) some peanuts in the shells, still. For my 2 year old I give the peanut an initial crack, as she isn't yet ready to do this on her own with her limited finger strength. From there she picks off the rest of the shell and figures out how to get the little nut out! This also encourages sorting--nut from shell, and counting, as peanuts can have 1, 2, 3 or more nuts inside them!
Older children might enjoy sunflowers.
Preschoolers love using a nutcracker on any nuts still in the shell. We did this activity with 4 year olds at a montessori preschool where I taught and they were so independent with it! We were amazed! We offered mixed nuts and they began sorting and grouping the nuts by variety all on their own.
This activity also offers many practical life experiences--sweeping up peanut shell crumbs from the floor, dumping the shell into the trash carefully, etc.
Fall is a great time for snacking on nuts as they are widely available in the produce department.
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